Persona 4: Connected
by Dragon Pulse
Summary: Yosuke is having doubts about just how strong the bonds with the Investigation Team really are.


If there was one good thing about the coming of the New Year, it was knowing that there would be time off. Most wanted it to see family, visit shrines – the traditional celebrations. Yosuke didn't care much for those, really. It just wasn't important to him. Nothing had felt important these days, he was beginning to realize.

The previous year, New Year's had been so lively. The entire team was together, enjoying the day before parting ways in the early evening hours to spend time with their families. It was quiet on this day though. It was quiet _every_ day – that was another realization he was coming to. It felt especially lonely on this January 1st. He could hear the clock across the room ticking at the seconds passed, to which he pulled his headphones over his ears and maximized the volume on his MP3 player. Anything to drown out the silence seemed like a good idea. He couldn't help but wonder what happened; why it had gotten so quiet that the sound of his own thoughts was suffocating him.

Rise was away doing… something. It was pretty hard for Yosuke to keep up with her busy schedule, even though he tried his best to. Yukiko was busy at the inn; Teddie had been staying in the other world even more often lately. Naoto was with her grandfather, and even Chie and Kanji seemed preoccupied with spending the day with their families. Then, of course, there was Souji. And that was when it hit Yosuke – when everything started to change, when it became the way it was now.

"That guy…" He let out a weak laugh as he pulled his headphones off his ears and let them rest on his neck. Maybe it was because the music wasn't helping him stay distracted, or maybe it was because he just wanted to hear himself speak. Either way, he continued the thought out loud. "Doesn't even send a card..."

Yosuke trailed off – not that it mattered when there wasn't anyone to listen to him. The passing thought soon fell into a deeper one, and loneliness morphed into self-deprecation. Things were beginning to come together in his mind, and not anywhere near in the way he liked. Souji had been the glue. Calm and collected, he kept everyone in check and made sure they always made time for each other somehow. Since he left, everything had fallen to shambles. Sure, he talked to Chie and Yukiko often; they were classmates just as they'd been the previous year. Teddie was around often enough, though he was definitely spending far less time on this side than ever before. Kanji he seemed to only meet in passing, and he hardly spoke with Naoto at all. Their common ground had dissipated after Adachi was caught. So was Souji being there the only reason they'd stayed close?

Even Souji – his so-called _best friend_ - was hardly heard from. They mailed once every few days, but things were short and concise. Yosuke could never get a handle on what he was up to. "He's probably made a whole bunch of new friends. It's not like he's ever got a problem with _that_."

It all made perfect sense. Souji was the only reason they'd come together in the first place, and now that he was gone, everything fell back into its old ways. That's just the way Inaba was. Nothing ever changed; change was scary. It was bad. So why would this be any different? It wasn't like he really ever fit in with this crowd anyway. The city boy, the son of a family who was driving local businesses to fail – that wasn't the type people wanted to associate with. Just a couple of more months until graduation. Maybe if he kept reminding himself of that, it would make things easier. Because _really_ when even the person you consider your best friend essentially abandons you, what else is left?

With a heavy sigh, Yosuke flopped back on his bed, eyes focused intently on a small crack in the ceiling. The thoughts continued, one after another. Every possible bad scenario and situation was considered until he decided he needed to at least know one thing. Why hadn't Souji even _bothered_ to wish him a Happy New Year? It may not have been his greatest effort, but even Yosuke had made sure to send his card out with enough time to ensure it'd arrive when it was supposed to.

_U kno, its fine U didn't send a card. buT u culd mail yur friends? Did U 4get wat day it is r somethin?_

Holding the phone above his head, Yosuke punched the keys on his phone at a furious pace. It pissed him off. It _really_ pissed him off and maybe, just maybe, calling him out on the act would do the trick. After hitting the send button, he stared at the screen. He stared for a good minute before letting out a frustrated yell and tossed the phone at the door. Yosuke closed his eyes and drew in a breath as if that would help.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

Yosuke's eyes immediately shot open at the sound of a new message. That was fast. A hell of a lot faster than he expected, actually. He propped himself up to get the phone from the other side of the room, but before he could, he was interrupted by a different sound entirely.

"Sorry I didn't send a card," The voice was familiar. Familiar, and yet foreign all the same. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

With a sharp turn of the head, there was a familiar grey bowl cut from the corner of his eyes. He remained silent, briefly wondering to himself whether or not this was an illusion.

"That e-mail was pretty harsh," There was a small laugh that came with that statement. There was no mistaking it – there was only one Souji and there he was, standing in the doorway holding bag, all the while still smiling pleasantly. "But I guess if you don't want the mochi I brought…"

"Dude!" Yosuke was unsure whether to be completely overjoyed or if he should punch Souji in the face for pulling this sort of stunt. "What the _hell_ is this!"

"Hm? It's mochi. I just said that."

Straight to the point, just as Souji always was. It really was hard to stay mad at a guy who was like this; he could hardly remember a time when he'd remained angry for more than a few minutes. Of course, this didn't stop him from questioning the circumstances. "N-no. I mean… Nobody hears from you for days and then you just show up unannounced?"

"I told you, it was a surprise," He paused, nonchalant, before continuing. "Chie and Yukiko knew. And Teddie. Oh, and Kanji and Naoto."

"So everyone knew but me. _Great_. I'm glad I'm up there on your priorities list, _partner_."

Yosuke sounded exasperated, an accurate representation of how he felt. Why wouldn't Souji have told him at all? 'Surprise' may have been one way of putting it, but it sure as hell didn't feel that way. He folded his arms, flopping backward. Eying the room around him, Souji stepped further in, closing the door behind him before placing the bag down on the table. He stood still, looking at Yosuke with a frown.

"They were all saying the same things. Something's been bugging you. I could tell from your other mails, too," He paused, but added on to that before Yosuke could respond. "I thought this might help."

It wasn't something Yosuke expected to hear. The words came from Souji's mouth so naturally; he was always like this. He always managed to see right through all the bullshit and cut right to the chase. Somehow, it always worked. And through all of these times, it also somehow always seemed to lift the weight from his shoulders. There were still things bugging him, things he needed to ask.

"I… I dunno, man. Things have just been so weird. Different, you know? It wasn't supposed to be this way when you left. 'Unbreakable bonds' and crap… but we've all been doing different things. Barely talking. You're back in the city and taking entrance exams, Rise's got the idol thing again – Yukiko's training at the Inn, Ted's back in the other world most of the time. Chie's getting all serious about this police force stuff with graduation coming up. Even Kanji and Naoto-kun… Everyone's so caught up in their futures and new plans…" He trailed off again as he let his eyes close. He hadn't planned on unloading all his worries on Souji, but it always managed to happen. "Here I am, with no plans. I won't get into any universities and I don't know what I'm doing. I'll probably be working at Junes for the next twenty years. I guess… Well, I guess it's just weird to watch everyone move on when I'm still just doing the same thing. I didn't think being left behind would be so crappy. Stupid, huh?"

For the duration of time that Yosuke was talking, Souji remained silent. Once finished, he sat at the edge of the bed, leaning over and giving Yosuke a pat on the head.

"Not stupid. Not true, either." He paused, considering his words. "Nobody's leaving you behind. You're just not giving yourself a chance."

Silence. Yosuke didn't know how to respond to that.

"It's a new year. We can visit the shrine. Make a request on an ema—"

"Listen, I don't care _how_ well that fox maintains that shrine. I am _not_ putting a request to that thing! Didn't he rob us blind enough already! I'm not gonna tell him anything!" Yosuke protested, and immediately Souji's brow furrowed.

"Stubborn as always, Yosuke."

"I'm not stubb—"

"You are." Souji let out a laugh, despite his expression. Yosuke wasn't able to see it, but nothing had changed. They may have been far apart, on the path to pursue who they were and want they wanted to do, but nothing was changing the moments like those, even if they happened less. But there would be time to explain that on the way. He tugged as Yosuke's sleeve, a nudge to let him know that they were going to the shrine anyway.

"Fine, okay. We'll – Oh crap!" Yosuke's thought was interrupted by something else entirely as his eyes met with the clock. "Listen, can we go later? It's time for…. Um."

Souji just looked at him curiously. _Time for?_ Time for what? Catching the expression, Yosuke let out a sigh, and with an air of defeat, he decided to share. "Time for _Kouhaku._"

"Kouhaku?" Souji couldn't help himself – he let out a laugh. It wasn't exactly what he pegged as a tradition for Yosuke, but somehow, it fit. "Wasn't that last night?

"I had to record it. Li-listen, I know it's dumb. But I just…" He trailed off again, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"It suits you." After a breath to regain his composure, Souji smiled at Yosuke, standing up to grab both the mochi and the TV remote. "I didn't see it either, so we'll go after. "

Though he wanted to protest, Yosuke fell silent, flustered with the smooth way Souji always handled these things. His eyes followed the motions before he grabbed the remote, turning on the TV and hitting the play button. The video had cut in a few minutes late, and much to both of their surprise, they saw a familiar face on the screen – Rise. Neither of them had been told she was a guest on this year's show. Maybe it was for a reason, but it was certainly serving as a good reminder. No matter how far apart they were, they were still all connected.

And maybe because of that, the coming year wouldn't be so bad after all.


End file.
